He stood silent in the darkness, staring fixedly at those two points of light. The light seemed to sway slightly, and he faintly heard some minor movements.
After waiting for a while with no further reaction, he tried slowly approaching the light. He then realised they were two slightly curved, slit-like holes. Judging by the raised and recessed surfaces, they were likely the gaps between the sculpted eyeballs and eyelids.
The distance between the two holes was too wide, so he could only look out through one of them.
Outside, he saw hanging cloth drapes and various furnishings, resembling a family shrine.
A woman’s figure appeared. It was a maid wearing a pale yellow garment, who was trimming the wicks of several oil lamps arranged on a rack.
After arranging the candles and other items, the maid finally closed the door and left.
Following that, the family shrine fell into dead silence.
Yu Qing observed quietly for a while. Finding it dull, he was about to turn and leave when he suddenly heard the faint sound of a window opening and closing. He immediately peered out, but the noise came from outside his line of sight through the hole, so he could see nothing.
Soon, the figure of a young man in white robes appeared in his view. He had sword-like eyebrows and star-bright eyes, and was quite handsome.
The man was clearly searching the shrine. He pushed aside the hanging drapes to check, crouched down to look under the table, and inspected everything in sight.
After confirming no one was there, the handsome man stood behind a pillar, using the hanging yellow drapes to conceal his figure. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the pillar, and closed his eyes to rest.
Yu Qing wondered what he was doing. Had he come to calm his mind? But judging by his earlier actions, that did not seem to be the case.
He faintly felt that the man was waiting for someone.
As expected, not long after, the door creaked open. The same maid from before pushed it open to admit a middle-aged woman who was still strikingly beautiful.
After entering, the woman turned back and said, “I am here to pray to the gods. Do not let anyone disturb me. Keep watch outside.”
“Yes.” The maid stepped back and closed the door behind her.
The woman turned and reached out an extra hand to gently slide the door bolt shut. Only then did she walk gracefully towards the deity statue where Yu Qing was hidden. As she passed the low-hanging yellow drapes on either side, she seemed to know someone was waiting for her. She turned her head to glance at the white-robed man leaning against the pillar.
The beautiful woman took incense from the altar, lit it over a candle, glanced up at the statue briefly, and casually stuck the incense into the burner without any reverence. She then glanced at the white-robed man and teased, “Why stand so far away? Are you afraid I will eat you?”
The white-robed man walked over, frowning. “I told you, meeting here is not safe. Try to avoid meeting here.”
The beautiful woman replied, “Rest assured. Outsiders know I am here praying and will not barge in unannounced. With my maid standing guard outside, there will be no trouble.”
The white-robed man grew slightly impatient. “Speak. What do you want with me?”
The beautiful woman said, “What else could it be? Regarding the position of the Wen family head, did you actually put in a good word with your master as I asked?”
The white-robed man replied, “I mentioned it, but my master made no statement. Besides, this is not something my master can decide alone. If your second branch wants to take over, you must find a way to satisfy the current family head. The decision on who succeeds the Wen family lies entirely with the old master.”
The beautiful woman retorted, “Nonsense. The Qinglian Mountain and the Wen family have been intertwined for over two thousand years. They are now two sides of the same coin. How could Qinglian Mountain allow someone they disapprove of to become the family head? The old master’s attitude is certainly important, but Qinglian Mountain’s stance is equally decisive.”
Hearing this, Yu Qing roughly understood the situation. The handsome white-robed man was a disciple of Qinglian Mountain, though he did not know his name. The woman belonged to the second branch of the Wen family and wanted to help her branch compete for the position of family heir.
The white-robed man sighed. “How could my master possibly dictate the entire attitude of Qinglian Mountain?”
The beautiful woman said, “Your master cannot dictate Qinglian Mountain’s overall stance, but he can influence it. Once Qinglian Mountain has a stance, the old master will have to take it into account. Your master is stationed at the Wen family, which inevitably makes him a liaison between Qinglian Mountain and the family. As long as you gradually influence your master’s perception, you will naturally influence Qinglian Mountain’s attitude. Add a few more sparks at the right moment, and the deed will be done.”
Yu Qing muttered to himself, who exactly was the person from Qinglian Mountain stationed at the Wen family?
The white-robed man kept a stiff face and frowned. “Is it not exhausting for a family to act like this?”
The beautiful woman replied, “Exhausting? Then ask the old master if he is exhausted. Ask him whether he used underhanded means to secure the position of clan leader years ago. You should know that once relegated to a side branch, we must move out of this mansion. The family will merely allocate a portion of assets for us to manage.
Why should that foolish woman of the first branch be the mistress of such a fine residence? Why should she enjoy such a vast family fortune? Why must I spend the rest of my life walking on eggshells around her? Why must even my descendants stand a head shorter than hers? What grounds does she have? How could I possibly accept this? Seeing that wretch’s son return today with his nose in the air makes my blood boil!”
Behind the statue, Yu Qing stroked his small moustache. He roughly guessed who the woman was and realised there were undercurrents of intrigue within this large family.
The white-robed man understood her feelings. He gave a snort, shook his head, and said, “Forgive my bluntness, but neither your husband nor the head of the first branch are particularly intelligent. Neither is suited for such a heavy responsibility.”
The beautiful woman said, “If my husband were capable, would I need to come to you? At the very least, my two sons are more intelligent than the two from their branch.”
The white-robed man replied, “It is normal to think your own sons are the best, but can they compare to Wen Yan’an?”
The beautiful woman said, “That is precisely the key point you should mention to your master. Wen Yan’an has chosen an official career path. If the Wen family falls into the hands of the first branch, they will likely struggle to find a suitable heir for the next generation.”
The white-robed man fell silent for a moment, finally managing only two words. “Finished?”
The beautiful woman asked in return, “Why the impatient look?”
“I understand what you have said. I will try.” After speaking, the white-robed man turned to leave.
The beautiful woman suddenly grabbed his sleeve. A strange expression appeared on her face, and her tone carried a hint of teasing. “What, grown tired of the game and trying to cast me aside?”
At these words, Yu Qing, who was preparing to slip away, froze. He caught a different implication in her tone. Looking closer, he saw the beautiful woman leaning against the man as if she had no bones, her arms wrapped around his lower back.
This sight left Yu Qing standing there with his mouth agape, nearly dropping his jaw in shock.
He began to doubt whether his earlier guesses were wrong. Was this woman truly the mistress of the Wen family’s second branch? If she was, then this…
The white-robed man, with his back to the others, clearly showed impatience. He grabbed the hands wrapped around his waist, shook them off, and walked away. “I have matters to attend to.”
“Just try leaving me behind!” The beautiful woman’s voice suddenly turned sharp.
Startled by the outburst, the white-robed man quickly turned and warned, “Have you lost your mind?”
The beautiful woman stared at him with a darkened face, then suddenly chuckled. She stepped forward, threw herself into his arms, and wrapped her hands around his neck. “Look how frightened you are.”
While speaking, she cupped his face, stood on her tiptoes, and eagerly demanded a passionate kiss.
The white-robed man turned his head to avoid it. “I really do have things to do. I will keep you company next time.”
“Are you deliberately avoiding me?” the beautiful woman murmured, refusing to let go.
“No, it is not appropriate here.”
“Why did you never say it was inappropriate before?”
As they entwined, the woman’s upper garment came undone, revealing her fair, plump bosom. Eventually, the white-robed man was stirred. He suddenly swept her aside to a nearby spot, behind the low-hanging yellow drapes.
A pile of meditation cushions stored there had been laid flat. Soon, the clothes of both man and woman were discarded, and they entangled themselves passionately upon the cushions.
The sight left Yu Qing utterly dumbfounded. He had never dreamed that his first venture into the Wen family tunnels would lead him to witness such a scene.
He was at an age of vigorous youth and could hardly endure the spectacle. He quickly turned his head away, covered his crotch with both hands, and tried hard to control his breathing.
He soon realised this would not work. The strange sounds drifting in from outside kept drilling into his ears. He immediately channelled his energy to regulate his breath, hoping to calm himself.
Yet the images remained in his mind, combined with the noises outside, making it impossible to find peace. Forcing his energy circulation risked causing a qi deviation.
He inevitably gave up resisting and prepared to leave. If he stayed any longer, he feared he would not be able to bear it.
Before departing, however, he could not help but press himself against the hole to continue peeking. It was the first time in his life he had ever witnessed such a scene.
He repeated the phrase “look not upon what is improper” in his mind for quite a while before finally convincing his feet to move. He carefully, ever so carefully, shuffled away.
As for the shifted wall panel, he dared not close it now, fearing the noise would give him away.
Only after finally navigating back to the main tunnel did he let out a long breath. He took out a fire starter, lit an oil lamp, and continued forward. The images still occasionally flashed in his mind, making it difficult to refocus his attention. He felt rather as if his soul had been captivated.
After walking for a short while, he discovered another set of stairs leading upwards. Not knowing where they led, he climbed them.
However, after ascending to a certain height, the stairs began to descend again. At the end, he found the path submerged in standing water.
It was clearly not merely standing water. Irregular large stones were piled within it.
Considering the ascending and descending stairs, he could basically be certain that this was another passage leading somewhere, simply blocked off with stones by someone.
As it was his first visit and his preparations were insufficient, he was merely scouting the route. He intended only to briefly confirm the tunnel environment to prepare for future explorations. He decided not to move the stones to explore this waterway for now, and thus withdrew.
Back in the main tunnel, he continued forward for a while until he suddenly noticed the space had grown considerably wider. Stepping closer and shining his oil lamp, he realised he had reached the end. A storage door stood there, made of metal iron.
He reached out and tried to push it with force, but it would not budge. It was locked. Shining the lamp on the iron door, he spotted a keyhole.
He placed his hand over the keyhole and channelled his energy to probe inside. As expected, it was a thousand-mechanism lock designed to counter cultivators. Without the corresponding key, it would be extremely difficult to open.
Withdrawing his hand, he surveyed the area and muttered to himself. Using an iron door to seal off a secret passage made him wonder what exactly was hidden inside.
Never mind. His preparations were inadequate, and he lacked the certainty to open it. He dared not act rashly, so he gave up once again, turned back, and when he reached a junction, took a different path.
As he walked, he suddenly heard the faint sound of clanging knocks echoing through the tunnel. He immediately pressed himself against the wall and held his breath, focusing his senses.